


At Large

by supernovainparadise



Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Bombings, Cullen Has Issues, Cullen Smut, Cullen and Alex decide it would be a good idea to have sex in a cop car, Detective Noir, M/M, Minor Original Character(s), Past Drug Addiction, Police, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Slow Burn, Solas is kind of a dick, Treason, major deaths, mentions of torture
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-03
Updated: 2018-01-29
Packaged: 2019-02-27 20:39:33
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 12
Words: 7,887
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13256190
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/supernovainparadise/pseuds/supernovainparadise
Summary: Alexander Trevelyan is a major suspect in the bombing of a church outside the small town of Haven, Colorado. He's arrested and finds himself with a strange tattoo he doesn't remember being there, and a fried memory of the incident. And he just may be Officer Cassandra Pentaghast's only hope.





	1. Bombs Away

_Bang._ The church exploded outwards in a blast of glass and stone. The cars parked on the street blared their alarms, and blood and dismembered limbs were scattered across the vicinity.

The sound of sirens echoed down the street towards the building. An ambulance and a police car pulled up at the scene, and two EMTs stepped out of the ambulance, rushing into the scene. A young woman with short, dark hair stepped out of the police car with an older man with a shaved head. The pair headed towards the scene of the crime, looking around.

The woman looked at one of the EMTs, who glanced up from the body of an older woman. He shook his head sadly. The woman cursed and kicked a piece of shrapnel at her feet. 

"Officer Pentaghast! Officer Solas! I found something! Or... Someone..." the other EMT shouted, waving at the police.

The officers exchanged looks and ran over to them. A young Hispanic man lay in the wreckage, his cloths burned away from his torso and his dark hair singed. Solas turned his palm over to see a strange tattoo on his hand. A tribal sun, colored neon green.

The man groaned, his eyes flickering beneath his eyelids.

Solas frowned, pursing his lips, then turned to Officer Pentaghast. "Get him to the ER, burn unit."

She frowned. "Fine, but I want him in my jail immediately after. He'll pay for this."


	2. Amnesiac

Alexander looked up, feeling groggy. He glanced around at the familiar and yet un-familiar surroundings. He was looking down the barrel of a pistol, held by a masculine woman, with a long scar on her cheek and dark, short hair.

"Tell me why we shouldn't kill you now. Everyone at the meeting is dead... except for you." she said, scowling down at him.

"What do you mean everyone's dead?" Alexander asked, panic flooding through him.

"Explain  _this_." Cassandra hissed, pulling the hand with the tattoo up. Alex shifted, pain from his recent wounds flashing up as the arm rubbed against them. 

"I... can't." Alex huffed past the pain.

"You're lying!" Cassandra said, pulling her gun on him again.

"We need him, Cassandra." Leliana said, pulling her away. Cassandra scowled down at him, then pulled him to his feet. 

Leliana nodded to them, then headed out a side door. Cassandra pulled Alex out of the cell through the main door and through the prison and several checking points, until he was dragged through the front doors in front of an angry crowd, being held back by riot police. A police car was parked on the road at the end of the crowd. As he stepped through, the crowd got louder and more violent. the Riot police had to work harder to keep them back. Cassandra opened the door, and pushed him into the back of the car, then hopped into the passenger seat. Solas was sitting at the wheel, and he started the sirens and drove down the road, pulling away from the crowd that was close to full on rioting.

Alex looked back at the crowd, and Cassandra said, "They have decided your guilt. They need it. They mourn our church leader, Justinia, and the two familiars attending the peace meeting at the church. The families have been fighting for years, and this was a chance at peace that is now gone."

Alex glanced away from the window. "Where are we going?"

"To another crime scene that has been set up, presumably by the same bomber. It may clear your name, if you can identify that you don't recognize the bomb remnants." Solas said, glancing up in the rear-view mirror. Alex sighed and turned his attention back to the snow falling outside.

It wasn't long before they pulled up to another scene, separated with yellow caution tape. The car stopped and Cassandra pulled him out of the car. They ducked under the caution tape and made their way into a scene covered in shrapnel and blood. They led him to a table set up a little ways away from the wreckage. The remains of a bomb sat on it, and two officers stood over it, whispering and shaking their heads. And emblazoned on the metal that hadn't been destroyed... was the same symbol tattooed on the palm of his hands.

Alexander felt his breath catch, and squeezed his left hand into a fist. There was a memory of an older man and an elderly woman, being held by the wrist trying to break free from the cruel man. He vaguely remembered her eyes catching his, pleading silently. He shook his head, trying to make sense of the memory, and it's connection to the symbol, to no avail. He remembered nothing. But he could see a few stray wires connected to the bomb, and something sprang to mind.

"The yellow wire. It's copper. It's the most conductive, and the one you need to cut to disarm it."

Cassandra and Solas looked up at him in shock and surprise.

"You know how to disarm this?" Cassandra asked, blinking slowly.

"I-- Yes. We were taught how in case of an emergency in the military." He said, turning to the pair of officers.

Solas and Cassandra frowned.

"He could help us figure out more, but we should free  him first. I don't think he's guilty; at  least not anymore."

Cassandra nodded in agreement. "I agree."

"Well, if it isn't our lucky day!" A voice crowed from somewhere behind them.


	3. Chasing Clues

Cassandra whipped around with a scowl on her face. Behind them stood a man on the shorter side, wearing a dress shirt unbuttoned down his chest, a pair of old blue jeans, and loafers. His blonde hair was tugged back at the front, and his grey eyes sparkled with mirth. At his hip sat an old western revolver. "Looks like you found the perfect person to help you solve this case."

Solas shook his head, a slight smile on his face.

"Absolutley not. Your help is appreciated, Varric, but-"

"Have you seen the valley lately, officer? You need me." Varric responded, before turning the Alexander.

"Varric Tethras, Rogue storyteller and occasionally unwanted tag-along." Varric winked at Alex, who blinked, slightly surprised.

Taken slightly aback, Alexander managed to stutter out, "that's a... nice revolver you have there."

Varric placed a hand on it. "Ah, isn't she? Bianca and I have been through a lot together."

Alex couldn't help but grin. "You named your revolver Bianca?"

"Yep, and she'll be great help in the valley."

Cassandra threw her hands up, and Solas laughed out loud. They turned and headed farther into the crime scene examining the area. Finally, Cassandra sighed and closed her notepad. She turned to the other three, looking fairly frustrated.

"Let's go back to the original crime scene. Maybe we'll find something we missed with Alexander here." Solas suggested. Cassandra grunted in agreement, and the four of them set off.

They jumped into two of the cars, and headed on their way.

About half and hour later, they arrived at the original crime scene. Alex reached up and subconsciously itched the strange tattoo on his hand. They stepped out and headed out into the scene. Standing in a uniform with a Kevlar vest was a handsome man, maybe two years Alex's senior. He had a sculpted jaw and broad shoulders. He had stubble on his face, and a scar on his lip. His dirty blond hair was pushed back, and he was frowning at a couple of officers talking quietly. 

Alex reached up and combed his hand through his hair, feeling suddenly self-conscious. The man in front of him was hot- no, he was downright  _sexy_. 

As they approached him, he turned to look at them, his face still tugged into a frown, though it softened slightly. "I'm glad you lot are here. We've been trying to figure out what actually happened."

"Alex, this is Officer Cullen Rutherford." Leliana said, stepping up behind them from the shadows, making Alex jump.

Cullen extended a hand and Alex shook it, smiling shyly at him, held captive by that brown eyed gaze.

Cullen turned back to talk to the others, and Alex wandered through the crime scene, till he came to a part of the floor that was scorched, but mostly free of debris. He knelt down to take a closer look, when a memory sprang free from his mind. He bit his lip, and turned to Cassandra. She looked at him, frowning slightly.

"What is it?" she asked, hands on her hips.

"I... remembered something. Just now." Alex told her. The others turned toward him, eyes wide with anticipation. "There was an older woman, and an older man. The man was choking the woman, and holding something. I think it was... a bomb? That's... that's it."

To his surprise, Cassandra reached up and clapped him on the shoulder. "It's a start. Do you remember what the man was wearing?"

Alex shrugged. "Sort of. I remember a ski mask and dark leather. That's it."

"It's a start." Cullen muttered, turning back to the scene.

Cassandra turned and grinned at him. "Much better than nothing."

"Wait... so I'm not a suspect any longer?" Alex asked, shocked.

"Not since you've provided evidence. And disarming that bomb didn't help. If you had placed it, you would have left it well enough alone. And you don't strike me as a cold blooded killer." Solas said, setting a hand on his shoulder, then turning back towards the cars, beckoning Alex to follow him... when there was a deafening explosion on the other side of the lot, sending shrapnel flying and eliciting cries of alarm from the officers. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is being posted today because of Sorkari. It's always nice to know your work is appreciated and enjoyed! So Sorkari, this one's for you! And I'm sorry about ending it on a cliffhanger... again.


	4. Boom Goes the Dynamite... Literally.

Alex was thrown off his feet, and landed a few feet away. His ears rang, and where his flesh had hit the pavement and remains of the shrapnel ached. He managed to stand up, and glanced around the area. Cullen was helping a younger officer to his feet, Cassandra was cursing up a storm, Solas was hunkered down a little ways away, and Leliana and Varric had also been thrown off their feet.

The sound of manic laughter followed them up over the area. Alex looked up to see a large, hulking man standing just outside the wreckage. Holding a grenade. A grenade emblazoned with the same green sun that was on Alexander's hand.

He was wide and broad shouldered, his skin was pale and he was devoid of any body hair, even eyebrows. He ripped the pin from another grenade, and threw it. It landed a ways away ticking for a moment. It took Alex only a moment to realize that it was a flashbang grenade.

"Cover your eyes!" he shouted, throwing his arm over his face before a brilliant flash of light illuminated the area.

After a few moments, Alex pulled his hand away. Varric, Cassandra, Leliana, Cullen, and Solas were unharmed, but most of the younger officers were stumbling around, panicked. Alex turned back to the man, a scowl spreading across his face. The man grinned back.

And then he made what was likely to be a very, very stupid choice.

He dashed forward and grabbed a pistol from one of the dazed officers, and turned and aimed it back at the man, who's grin dissolved into an angry scowl. He reached into the bag at his side, and pulled out a pistol himself, and aimed it Alexander. There was no hesitation when he pulled the trigger. The bullet his Alex in the thigh, and he cried out in pain, stumbling back.

"His head!" shouted Cassandra, "aim for his head!"

Alex shakily pulled the pistol up, aimed, and fired.

And the man fell down, dead.

Alex collapsed only seconds after.


	5. Welcome to Haven

Alex awoke to the sound of the door opening. His eyes took a moment to adjust to the light, and almost as soon as they did, he heard a soft gasp and the sound of something being dropped. He bolted upright to see a scared looking teenager, with short brown hair.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know you were awake, I swear!" she stuttered out, looking terrified.

"It's alright, I'm not going to hurt you." he said, quiet and soothing. "Where am I?"

"Your back in Haven. In the hospital. Officer Cassandra said she wanted to see you. Right away, she said. She's in the police station. It's not a long walk, but I don't think..."

Alex waved her off, and shakily got to his feet. The wound on his leg had been sutured closed, and while the area ached, it didn't hurt to put weight on it. He turned to the teenager again. "How long was I here?"

"About a week. You've been asleep most of the time." she said, before scuttling out.

Alex sighed. His clothes sat on a chair in the corner. He changed back into them, noticing that they'd been washed and repaired. He grunted in appreciation and darted into the bathroom. His tanned skin was paler than he remembered it being, likely from the blood loss. He noticed that his auburn hair was tangled and messy. He attempted to run his fingers through it before giving up and dropping his hand. His ice blue gazed stared back at him. All in all, he looked pretty good for everything that had happened recently.

He sighed and left the room to check out of the hospital.

About fifteen minutes later he found himself sitting in the waiting room and the police station. The sound of loud arguing came from the next room over. He sighed and turned away, facing the window. He heard the door on the other side open, and Cullen stepped out. Alexander's heart stopped beating again. Cullen's eyes fell on Alex, and he nodded briefly before turning around and talking to the secretary. Alex almost melted. 

Just as he was considering talking to him, the yelling stopped and the door next to him flew open, revealing a very angry Cassandra and an unhappy looking older man. Cassandra waved him in, and he walked in sheepishly.

"He should be taken to Denver immediately to face death row!" the older man hissed, a vein pulsing in his face.

Cassandra scowled at him. "I assure you, Pastor Roderick, that will not be necessary."

Roderick huffed. "Just look at the tattoo on his hand! That fits the one found on the bombs. Someone must pay for Justinia's death! For the death of the two families who were only trying to solve a feud!"

The door slammed open again, and Leliana stepped into the room, cool and collected. "Someone will. Our suspect might very well still be alive. And have allies..." she said, turning her gaze onto the pastor.

" _I_ am a suspect?!" he hissed.

"You and, many others." Leliana snapped.

"But not the prisoner." the pastor muttered, before walking out.

Cassandra sighed. Alex turned towards her, uncertain. "I'm no longer a suspect?"

"No. We no longer have enough implications to suspect you of the crime." Leliana told him, leaning onto the table in front of her.

"They why am I still here?" he asked.

"Because we looked into you. Your profile says that you're an ex-marine, and you worked as a private eye in Denver." she said.

Alex nodded. "That's right. I left Denver after an... issue with the police force there."

"We know. And we need an experienced detective to help us solve this case. The fact that you were at the meeting helps even more. We need you here." Cassandra said.

"If that's the case... I'll be happy to be of service." Alex said, extending his hand.

Cassandra took it. "Welcome to the force, Detective."


	6. Home Sweet Home

"We'll have to put him up somewhere till he can get a place of his own." Leliana said, looking at Cassandra and Cullen.

"My place has an extra bedroom and plenty of space. I'm willing to share with him." Cullen said.

Alex was pretty sure his face looked like it was about to explode. "Th-That's fine..." he managed to croak.

Cullen turned and smiled softly at him. Alexander nearly collapsed.

Cullen led him out to the parking lot, where his car sat. Alex resisted the urge to whistle in appreciation. The car was an 1995 Red mustang. Immediately Alex wondered what his pay check would look like. Then he wondered what it would be like to have sex in the car. With a certain police officer. Who may or may not own the car. He managed to delay his thoughts before he got... excited, and hopped into the car. It was a short drive through the quaint little town to Cullen's home, a moderate two-story house. He pulled the car into the garage, and he and Alex hopped out, Alex lugging a small suitcase with his few belongings. Cullen led Alex inside, and showed him to the spare bedroom, with it's own bathroom, a queen sized bed, a nice desk, and a simple closet. Alex thanked Cullen, somehow muttering something coherent, and Cullen left him to his own devices.

Alex turned towards the large standing mirror, and rested a hand on his chest, feeling his heart beat frantically against his ribcage. This was going to be both the best experience he'd ever had... and the worst.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good god this was short. I had this idea in my head and very little time, so I had to write it down before I forgot it. I promise I'll get something actually substantial done, hopefully by the end of the day. Won't be posting tomorrow, out of town, so hopefully today's two chapters will tide you guys through.


	7. Search and Seizure

**Two Months Later**

Alex pulled open the door leading off the waiting room, intending to check up on the staff, the majority of which was new to the station. Over the last two months, many had been assigned to the case, even some from Denver. One of the new members was originally from California, the LAPD. The first among them was a large, bearded "bounty hunter" who actually worked for the CIA. His real name was Hissrad, but he preferred to go by the Iron Bull. They rolled their eyes and went with it. The next was Sera, who was supposed to be assisting as a witness to get out of tax fraud. Alex was rather convinced that she was guilty of pick-pocketing the tax collectors, too.

There was also Blackwall, who's first name Alexander had never gotten. He claimed to be an ex-marine as well, and now worked as an officer assigned to the case from Denver. There was Vivienne, who was supposed to be Alex's partner detective on the case, though she mostly nagged him. She was also from Denver. Then there was Dorian, the station's resident forensic criminologist, though he had only been hired recently. There was also Josephine, their forensic psychologist, and her quiet and strange trainee Cole.

Finally there was everyone else, whom they had already met. Cassandra, currently the chief, though she claimed that it was only temporary. Then Varric, a reporter who had been a witness in the disappearance of Officer Marian Hawke from Boston, connected to an unnamed criminal who destroyed an office building. There was also Solas and Cullen, both officers for the station. Solas had joined at the beginning of the year, and Cullen had followed Varric from Boston. Most people associated Cullen with nicotine patches, considering he was recovering from a nicotine addiction, after smoking since he was 16. Then there was Leliana. Cassandra told Alex she was a detective as well, but Alex noted that she generally handled interrogations as well. She still terrified him.

It had taken all of the last couple of months to get this ragtag group together, and they all hoped and prayed it would be enough to track down the bomber before he caused more damage.

Alex opened the door to a smaller office, with a large window looking out towards the snow-capped mountains. He sat at his own desk, quiet and thoughtful, his fingers hovering just above the keys. Finally, he fell back into his chair with a soft huff, and allowed himself to get lost in thought.

He had become more comfortable around Cullen in the last two months, but his attraction to the man had done nothing but grow. And no longer simply because of his looks. Cullen had proven himself to be kind, just, loyal... the list went on and on. They had organized their living space to be convenient and it worked for both of them. Sometimes one of them would cook, but mostly they'd either get takeout, order a pizza, or go out to eat. The routine was comfortable, and dare he say it, domestic. He sometimes caught himself wondering what would happen if this became a much more permanent and intimate relationship.

He pulled himself out of his reverie, and opened his email. There was a few emails about the evidence from Dorian, and the suspect's profile from Josephine and Cole. He scrolled through them, finding no new information. Just as he was about to close his email, he refreshed it one last time. In his inbox was an email from Solas. He opened it... and his jaw dropped at what he saw within.

An image of the crime scene, with him crouched beside an older woman, both of them towered by a tall, frail looking man in a ski mask, dark slacks, and a leather jacket. He held a bomb in one hand, high above them. His hands shaking, Alex starred the email, then closed the web page, and left his office, just as a message appeared on his phone, telling him that there was currently a meeting in the board room for all the employees working on the Justinia case. With a sigh, Alex left his office, running a hand through his hair, certain he knew what this was about.


	8. Puzzle Pieces

Alex opened the door to the meeting room, and plopped himself into his chair, propping his feet up on the table. Cassandra turned an icy glare at him. Alexander held her gaze for a few seconds, before breaking and removing his boots from the table. Satisfied, Cassandra turned back to the group assembled.

"In case any of you didn't actually read the email, we found an important piece of evidence from the crime scene. A witness had taken a photo of the bomber, the victim, and the lead detective during the crime on their phone." Cassandra turned to Dorian, who sat up a little straighter. "Why don't you let us know what exactly you found."

Dorian grinned, and pushed his glasses up on his nose. "It's quite simple, really. The witness, who was unfortunately deceased after the bomb went off, managed to capture the image you see on the screen above you," they all turned to the projection screen on the wall, where the image in the email was presented.

Alex bit his lip. Now that it was blown up, there was no denying that the unmasked man in the picture was himself. He had the same unnaturally bright red hair, and California tan. Alex ran a hand through his hair, thinking. He'd dyed it about two weeks ago, just before he left Denver. Naturally, he was a ginger, but he'd never liked his natural hair color, and the comments that came with it. It had taken him ages to get an actual tan as well, instead of just burning. 

He turned his head to his left hand, which was facing outwards to see the same tattoo that was already there. His hopes that he had gotten it during the crime scene were dashed. He sighed, and turned his attention to Dorian, who had began talking again.

"We were able to recover the phone with the memory intact from the crime scene. With permission from the victim's family, we extracted the data from the phone, and came up with only one image of the crime scene, as well as several... other pictures." Dorian commented, lip twitching into a smirk.

Bull and Sera both snickered. Alex cackled under his breath, and even Cullen smiled softly, picking at the edge of a nicotine patch on his forearm. 

Dorian coughed. "As it stands, this is the only photographic evidence of the crime itself we have. Analysis tells me the image was taken at about 13:00 on December 2nd, 2017, which matches the estimated time the crime was committed. Now we have to trace the suspect in the image."

Dorian leaned forward, and zoomed in on the bomb in the suspect's hand. Sure enough, there was that strange green sun again. "I'm positive this is how we're going to identify him. I believe it's the branding or the signature of whomever made the bomb. I no longer believe this is just some homecrafted bomb, but was manufactured by a company. I've looked everywhere for the source, but no one has it. The only place I could think of accessing would the CIA or FBI's files, but they're locked to me. There is one other place we've seen it though."

The entire room turned to Alex, who flexed his left hand, before turning it over, revealing the same green sun on his hand.

"You don't happen to remember how you got that tattoo, do you?" Dorian asked gently.

Alex shook his head. The memory was completely blocked to him.Everyone sighed, slightly disappointing. The meeting continued for another half hour, ideas being bounced around, until finally they all got up and left.

That evening, as Cullen and Alex drove home, Alex found himself looking out the window, unintentionally blocking Cullen out. Eventually, he stopped trying to initiate conversation, and they headed back in silence.

They stepped into the house, and Cullen busied himself in the kitchen, while Alex headed back upstairs to his room to do some research. After about an hour, there was a knock on the door. Alex sighed and opened the door, where Cullen stood with a plate in his hand, with a grilled cheese with ham and swiss cheese, and sour-cream and onion chips, Alex's favorite at-home meal.

Alex blinked in surprise, looking up at Cullen.

Cullen coughed awkwardly, his cheeks red. "I know how hard you've been working lately, and I know that you probably wouldn't eat tonight if I didn't brink you anything."

Alex felt his own cheeks flush, and took the plate from Cullen, then stepped back and hesitated, before waving him into the room afterwards. Alex sat down at his desk, and sipped the cup of cooling black coffee next to his laptop, before closing it and turning to Cullen.

"Thank you." he said, popping one of the chips into his mouth. Cullen smiled and nodded.

They sat there awkwardly for a minute, before Cullen said, "Have I ever told you about my time in the Police academy?" Curious, Alex shook his head.

They traded stories until about nine, long after Alex had finished both his coffee and his dinner, and had since popped a mint into his mouth. Cullen stood up to go, but just as he turned away, Alex reached out and grabbed his wrist.

They made eye contact for a long moment, and Alex could feel Cullen's pulse in his wrist, beating fast.

Finally, Alex released Cullen's wrist, and muttered a goodnight. Cullen responded in kind, then headed down the hall to his room. Alex closed the door and slid down it, pulling his knees to his chest and resting his head on them, cursing himself for losing his moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For the record, as I've been writing this whole story I've been listening, in order, the the album "The Wall" by Pink Floyd. So if any of you want to kinda experience this story the way I've been writing it, I recommend listening to it as you read. The end of this chapter was written while listening to "Nobody Home". The album is my personal favorite for inspiration, as well as "The Dark Side of the Moon", also by Pink Floyd.


	9. Knots upon Knots

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a fair warning, this chapter gets pretty dark and handles really sensitive material. But it also mentions some very important plot points. I will recap the most important details in the next chapter, but you will not get the same experience.

Nothing. In the last month they'd been searching for the green sun, they'd found nothing. The few results they'd gotten were all need-to-know by the FBI, which meant they had no access to them whatsoever. The only lead they had was the identical tattoo on Alex's hand, but he still didn't remember how he got it. Josephine suggested that there may be some sort of trauma tied to the tattoo, and thus his brain and blocked it out. She told him that if he want to psychologist, they may be able to help him live through that trauma again, and discover the source of the tattoo.

And that was why he was sitting in a cozy looking room with Haven's only resident psychologist, a woman by the name of Lace Harding. She was stout and ginger, covered in freckles. He shifted uncomfortably as she flipped through his medical papers, muttering to herself. After about two minutes, she set the papers aside, and turned to him, her green eyes soft.

"Tell me, what emotions do you associate with the tattoo?" she asked softly. Alex shifted again.

"Anger and fear." He answered, the words being the first to come into his head.

She nodded, and scribbled something down. "Do you remember a time before you had the tattoo?"

Alex nodded. "Yes, when I was in the navy, from 18 to 20. I'm 25 now, and joined the police in Denver a year after that. I don't remember having the tattoo until just about a year ago. But how I got it is... blocked. It's not there. But I know that after I got it, the police there were angry at me for some reason."

"They were angry at you?" she asked, scribbling something else down.

Alex nodded. "Yes... it had something to do with a terrorist organization..."

"What can you tell me about these terrorists?" Harding asked, looking up at him with a gleam in her eyes.

"They called themselves the Agents of the Dread Wolf. And I remember that they worked throughout several countries, trying to restore what they called the 'old world.'" Alexander scrunched his face, trying to remember. Harding said nothing, just waited patiently.

"I remember... a warehouse? And... being tied up..." Alex muttered, then felt it hit him like a train as he remembered exactly what happened.

They had mugged him in an alley after he was finished with a nearby crime scene. Hogtied him and dragged him to an abandoned warehouse. They hadn't done anything sexual initially, but they'd roughed him up pretty good, and left him with the long scar on his face that ran from just below his lip, up to the top of his cheekbone. He ran a finger along it. They had gotten awfully close to raping him, but just as they'd made to rip his clothes off, something scared them off. Alex had somehow managed to wriggle free, and made his way back to the police station, terrified and injured. But the police in Denver were just upset he couldn't provide them a profile. They gave him the easiest cases available, if anything at all. Frustrated and hurt, he'd resigned from the force and headed north, intending to get away at a small skiing community in the Rockies.

Haven.

He felt a gentle hand on his shoulder, and looked up, breathing coming fast and tears slipping down his face. Harding led him through some breathing exercises, then sent him home. Alex thanked her and left, clearly shaken up. After he left, Harding looked down at her papers and sighed. Written at the bottom in small, neat script, was "possible Post Traumatic Stress Disorder."

Alex was surprised to see Cullen waiting when he stepped into the waiting room. Cullen stood and beckoned him, and he meekly followed the other man out to his car. The pair drove home in silence.

Finally they arrived home, and they stepped into the house. Alex really just wanted to go to sleep, but Cullen stopped him before he could reach the stairs. He hesitated for a moment, Alex looking sadly at him. 

"If you... want to talk about it, or need anything else, just... let me know, will you?" Cullen asked, looking up at him.

To his surprise, Alex threw himself into Cullen's arms. Cullen held him tight, Alex sobbing softly into his shoulder.


	10. On Thin Ice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, the title is a reference. You'll get it if you listened to the album. Also, I promise this isn't nearly as dark as the last chapter. Also, totally guilty of being at least slightly influenced by Yuri!!! on ICE for this chapter. Also from skating this weekend. Seriously, everyone should go ice skating at least once, it's so much fun! Just ensure you rent or own good skates.

Cullen and Alex had been given the day off. Alex because of the trauma he had been forced to re-live for the case, and Cullen because he seemed to be the only one Alex would talk to. So, when they had shown up to the station this morning, Cassandra had promptly kicked them out, but not before Josephine had given Alex a big, warm hug and apologized profusely. Cole had given them a batch of homemade cookies and told Alex that he could make it through this.

So Cullen decided to show him around the town more thoroughly then he had already seen. Unfortunately, Alex remained clammed up most of the drive. Cullen was about to admit defeat, when he glanced and saw a small road leading off to the other side of town and got an idea. Turning on his blinker, he turned to Alex with a devilish grin, and said, "do you know how to ice skate?"

To his surprise and delight, Alex looked up at him and cracked a small smile. "When I was a teenager I used figure skate competitively."

"Perfect." Cullen said, pulling down the road till they reached a small skating rink. There were very few cars parked in front, and it seemed that the rink was fairly unoccupied.

Cullen parked the car and they got it, walking into the foyer of the rink. There, he and Alex rented skates before heading into the rink and slipping them on. Cullen tugged Alex onto the ice, their movements starting soft and careful. Before building into a more eloquent and careful pattern, skating around one another, for the sake of skating. Finally, Cullen turned towards him and said, "why don't you show me more about figure skating?"

The sentence was a carefully stated lie. Cullen used to figure skate for fun with his sister when he was a child, because no one else was. He couldn't pull off super complicated moves, but he could do basic spins and jumps. Alex's face lit up when he said it though, and he knew he'd said the right thing. Just as they began skating, one of the employees put on a gentle and fun track, that sounded like a melody of Beauty and the Beast. Alex carefully took Cullen's hand and led him carefully through a simple partner skate. There were a few spins, but luckily both were easily able to keep their balance. They ended up close together at certain paces, but they moved delicately through the paces as the music grew and expanded.

As the music came to a close, Alex and Cullen ended up close to each other in the center of the ice, caught in a warm embrace. Alex was grinning, and his face was flushed from both the cold and his proximity to Cullen. Alex was tempted to lean in and kiss Cullen, but instead moved to pull carefully out of his arms, not willing to ruin the friendship they had built.

But Cullen wouldn't let him. He held tightly, unwilling to break up the intimate moment. But finally, the sound of other people coming into the rink forced them apart. Quietly, they skated for a while longer, and Alex taught Cullen a few more jumps, then they turned and left, heading to the local cafe for what Cullen claimed was "the best hot chocolate in town."

They got their warm drinks, and watched the quiet bustle of the winter market from seats near the window. The market was decorated for Christmas, which was in about two weeks. Alex had no where else to go for Christmas, he told Cullen. Cullen informed him that his family usually came down to haven for a few weeks, and that Alex was welcome to celebrate with them for the holidays.

Alex nodded gratefully, then turned his attention back to the shoppers, hands wrapped around the warm mug.

They finished their cocoa, and headed out. Initially, Alex thought they were headed back to Cullen's house, but then Cullen took a sudden turn, bringing them to a quiet park not far from his neighborhood. They walked around together in comfortable silence, until they came to a pond, frozen solid and bordered weeping willows, glittering with ice. The snow was largely untouched, and a soft silence drifted over the pond, the sun setting over the horizon. Alex couldn't help but notice that it was a very romantic setting. 

To his surprise, he felt Cullen take one of his hands in his own. He turned to him in gentle surprise. Before Alex could ask Cullen what was wrong, Cullen spoke.

"I've never been good at the whole... crush thing. I'm not all that great with expressing my feelings in a... romantic manner. Especially when it comes to other men. I was never sure how they'd respond. But I feel different with you. I know how I feel, even if I don't know how to express that. Over the last few months I've come to care about you, far more than I believe I really should. I just thought you should know." Cullen dropped Alexander's hand, and made to step away.

But before he could, Alex grabbed Cullen's wrist. Cullen turned that brown eyed gaze on him, one that made Alex go weak at the knees. Before Cullen could say anything, Alex leaned in and did something he'd wanted to do for quite a while; he kissed him.

Sweet and tender and on the lips, he found Cullen pulling him warmly into his embrace, holding him close. Alex wrapped his arms around Cullen's neck, drawing him even closer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song I pictured Alex and Cullen figure skating too was "Beauty and the Beast" by Lindsey Stirling, if you'd like to listen to it. Just an FYI!


	11. Profiling

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is totally unrelated to literally anything about this fic at all, but I feel like I should say it. I highly recommend listening to Welcome to Nightvale. It's literally amazing? It has absolutely put the entire world into a different perspective after listening to it for me. I would recommend it to almost anyone. And now... the weather.

Alex woke to sunlight streaming in through the frosted windows through the curtains. He blinked his eyes open and looked around. The room was rather unfamiliar, and it took him a moment to remember where he was. When it dawned on him, he grinned broadly and stretched. He noted he was pleasantly sore, but fairly content. It was the happiest he'd felt since his visit with Harding. 

He rolled over onto his side. Cullen was still asleep, his usually perfect hair mussed up from a rather eventful night. His lips were parted, and he was breath was deep and pleasant.

 _I could get used to waking up like this_... Alex thought, propping himself up on his elbow. He flopped back down onto his back, breathing in the scent of Cullen that lingered on the sheets and on his skin. 

Just as he was contemplating whether or not to get out of bed, Cullen stirred, and Alex turned towards him. Cullen sat up and yawned. turning his eyes to Alexander. He smiled lazily at him.

"Well, I could get used to waking up like this." Cullen muttered.

"I was just thinking the same thing." Alex said, sitting up, and resting a hand on Cullen's chest. Cullen took his other hand and kissed the tattoo on his palm.

Alex leaned in and kissed Cullen on the lips, then slid out of bed. He stretched, feeling the muscles in his back loosen. He could feel Cullen's gaze run up and down his body. He flashed him a grin over his shoulder. Cullen smiled slyly back. Alex grabbed his clothes from the floor, and slid silently out of the room, intending to catch a shower before they left for the station.

* * *

 

They walked in hand and hand. Sometime last night after sex, they'd determined that yes, the events of the day had made them a couple. They weren't sure if they wanted to call it anything quite yet, but they were absolutely together. There was a meeting first thing that morning, to go over the profile Josephine and Cole had put together from the data they'd gathered.

Cullen and Alex were the last to slip into the board room. As expected, they got glares from Cassandra, and sat down next to each other in the last two seats. Satisfied, Cassandra gestured to Josephine to begin the presentation. Josephine stood, handing her laptop to Cole so he could click through the slides. The presentation on the board showed simple data, which Josephine explained in detail.

"From what we can tell, gathered from Alex's memories and the crimes themselves, he's most definitely connected to this terrorist group in some way or another. I cannot say how, but I have two theories. The first is that he's either the leader or a major member of the group. Another distinct possibility is that he's hired on. That he's not a member of the group, but is paid to do their dirty work. No confirmation on either side yet."

Alex frowned up at the board, mouth set into a grim frown. 

Josephine continued. "I can say he's likely sociopathic. He enjoys causing others pain, to the most people, as evident by where the initial crime, and where we found the second bomb. It seems that by attempting the same crime twice, he seems to lack empathy. He seems to be intelligent enough to schedule each of these, and he purposefully showed up to one of the crime scenes. We can also likely peg him as a serial bomber, as he has the same tendencies to follow a pattern and has attempted at least two crimes, perhaps more outside of Haven. I get the feeling he may be connected to the bombing of a military base outside of Boston, Massachusetts, some time before the Anders case."

Varric visibly winced. "I covered that. It was a mess; a shame too, I knew Anders well."

Cassandra scowled at him, then turned to Josephine. "Let's cover the crime scene again."

Josephine agreed, and motioned to Cole to stand up. Picking at his sleeve he stood.

"Well, from what we know, the bombing occurred at the Sacred Ashes Church, about two miles outside of Haven, at about one o'clock in the afternoon. During that time, the head of the church community, Justinia, was attempting to reconcile two of Haven's wealthier families. A good deal of the family members were there, as well as a few cousins. It was to be the end of a long feud, until our suspect showed up unexpectedly. He set off a large bomb in the church during the meeting, killing nearly everyone in the building, except for himself and Detective Alexander Trevelyan." All eyes glanced briefly at Trevelyan, and Cole continued. "Currently, the evidence stands at a few pieces of shrapnel, the autopsy reports from the victims we could recover, a photograph taken from the phone of one of the victims, and Alex himself."

Finished, Cole sat down. The others frowned down at their hands, thinking hard. They had some data, but no where near enough. In order to get data about the Boston crime, they'd need help from renowned Officer Marian Hawke, and no one knew where she was. They were stuck on a case that was beginning to go cold.

The door to the door burst open, and a harried looking young officer stood in the door, his chest heaving. "There's been another bombing. We sent officers and the ambulance."

They all stood, shocked and surprised. Cassandra turned to Alex. "Go to the crime scene, and take Cullen and Solas with you. This might be the lead we've been looking for. 


	12. Most Wanted

Cullen, Solas, and Alex pulled up at the scene. The location was one of the town's bars, which was now mostly a pile of rubble. They expected to find the scene taped off, but instead there was a police blockade. Which meant...

Alex walked up to Officer Fairbanks, who was leading the operation. Upon Alexander's arrival, he gestured for the other three to crouch down. They did so, gathered around Fairbanks, who had his gun drawn.

"The suspect is still here. He matches Alex's description and the image. Not to mention that this matches his profile." Fairbanks muttered to them. "We've surrounded the area, but he hasn't come out of where ever he's hiding, and we don't want to send any officers in just in case. We've even had to hold off on retrieving possible survivors."

Alex cursed under his breath, Solas shook his head, and Cullen kicked a piece of shrapnel near them. Alex turned his attention to the crime scene. Nothing but smoke and shrapnel and broken glass. Solas headed to check in with some of the other officers, while Cullen turned to him, laying a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Don't do anything stupid and get yourself killed." Alex smiled at him and squeezed his hand, before slipping through the blockade and into the rubble.

Alex glanced around. The extent of the damage reminded Alex of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which was definitely not a good comparison. It left Alex wondering what exactly those bombs were made of. Could they be smaller atom bombs...? Alex suddenly wished he had a Geiger counter. He shook his head to clear his mind, and focused on the task at hand.  He slid his gun out of it's holster and looked around, his finger sitting on the safety, ready to turn it off at any given moment.

Alex crept behind some rubble and listened. He thought he could hear footsteps crunching through broken glass on the other side of the remains of the wall. He glanced around the corner, and held his breath. Facing the other way was a tall, thin man in black jeans and a black leather jacket. He wore a ski mask, and gloves. Alex shifted and some shrapnel moved. The man whipped around. Alex made to pull his head back into his hiding spot, but the man saw him first. Knowing that he didn't have much of a choice, Alex stood and faced the man, turning his gun's safety off and aiming for the man's chest. The man looked at him for a long second...

Then laughed. He laughed so hard he doubled over. Alex felt his face turn bright red, and cocked the gun. The man stopped laughing after that. He stood straight and sneered at Alex.

"Pathetic... This was one of Denver's best detectives? No wonder you're working in this dump of a town. If you can even call it that." the man said.

"I've got you at gunpoint, don't I? I'd say that makes me better than you think." Alexander snapped back. 

"Yes, well you should be dead. No one was supposed to leave that church alive."

"And yet here I am." Alex shot back. "Now put your hands up, I'm taking you down to the station."

The man laughed again. He reached up and pulled his ski mask off. Alex almost dropped his gun. The man's face was hideously scarred, mostly form burns. His hair was gray and thinning, and his sneer caused his already contorted face to contort more. Then he pulled his rifle off his back. And aimed it at Alex.

"You've failed yet again, Alexander Trevelyan. And this time, I'm going to make sure you pay for that failure. When you get where you're going, tell them Corypheus sent you."

Alex closed his eyes, as Corypheus pulled the trigger. But just before he felt the bullet embed itself in his guts, he was slammed down into the ground. He felt a searing pain in his left hip, and hit the ground. Corypheus cursed, then turned and fled. Alex moved to get up, but just as he stood, his leg gave out and he fell back into warm arms

His vision blurring in and out, he looked up to see Cullen's worried eyes above him, he saw him turn his head and yell back at the ambulance. They everything went black as he collapsed back into Cullen's arms.


End file.
